Butler
Middle seventh-grader Owen Ward really likes to play games — board games, card
games, video games. So when he found a game design summer camp, he got excited.

“It
sounds way cool,” he said. “I really like the idea how of learning how to
design games and it can help me with future jobs.”

So
when Owen learned about RizePoint’s scholarships for Canyons School Districts
to attend STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) camps, he applied.

“I
wasn’t sure what they were looking for, so I revised it a couple times. I had
my math teacher and a friend write me a recommendation. It’s the first
scholarship I’ve received. Now with the scholarship, I’ll be able to learn what
methods they use,” he said, adding that he learned Scratch (a visual
programming language) in elementary school.

In June, Owen will be attending the week-long
game design camp, with the help of RizePoint.

“We
invest in the future and the future is what makes us successful,” RizePoint CEO
Frank Maylett said. “Our future are these students who are here wanting to learn
at STEM camps.”

About
21 scholarships were originally planned to be awarded in the third annual
summer camp scholarship program; however, RizePoint Vice President of People
Operations Peter Johnson said about four additional scholarships were funded by
company individuals who were inspired by the quality of applicants.

“All
the applicants were pretty great, so when we couldn’t fund some, there was a
real draw to raise extra funds and employees partnered to award $1,400 in
additional scholarships,” he said.

The
applications consisted of a short essay where fifth-grade through 10th-grade
students wrote about their interests and experiences as they relate to STEM
subjects, as well as included recommendations from a peer and a teacher. Johnson
said a committee of RizePoint employees and Canyons Education Foundation
members then scored the applications for their completeness, content, ambition
and financial need. The camps range by students’ interests from a zookeeper
camp to robotics and coding.

Awarding
scholarships is only one way RizePoint has supported students. The company also
has partnered with East Midvale Elementary, where they gave students backpacks
in the fall filled with school supplies, and this past March, read books with
students as part of the school’s Dr. Seuss Day.

RizePoint’s
reach to the community also includes giving employees a day each quarter to
serve the community, such as helping with hurricane relief, building trellises
and attending to the Wasatch Community Garden.

“We’re
excited to be able to help our community,” Maylett told the recipients and
their families. “Through what we do — making software for companies and stores
many of you use every day — we touch your lives quietly, but we’re making an
impact, both through our work and our service."